Saturday, 20 February 2010

(LIFE COACH)BY AGBOLADE OMOWOLEONE of the cardinal principles of achievement is effective decision making. Every successful person you know is probably an effective decision maker. The decisions you make daily are either ‘making’ or ‘breaking’ you. When you fail to make the right decisions, you become vulnerable to wrong decision making.

Decisions are different from wishes. A wish may be a fantasy or a mental picture of a desirable state without conscious determination to achieve it. Conversely, decision making is all about choosing the things you want in life. You can decide to be rich or poor, or happy or depressed. Consciously or unconsciously we make decisions that determine our lifestyle. If you are poor, it is probably because you have not decided to be rich. If you are sorrowful, it is probably because you have not decided to be happy. If you are a ‘nobody’, it is probably because you have not decided to be a ‘somebody.’ In the game of life, there is nothing like indecision because indecision is in itself a decision.

Accept responsibility for your life. Whatever happens to you in life, accept responsibility for it. Don’t blame someone else for your failure. Note that there is a ‘you’ aspect to every experience in your life. Nobody can decide for you without your permission. Don’t blame the society, the government or the country for your woes. Decide to make your life better instead. You can make it big in this country. The key to making effective decisions is to break complex tasks down into simple, and manageable task, and measuring the effectiveness of the decision made and how it affects your life positively. Some decisions like reading a book at least every week, will require you to be accountable to someone.

Make one decision at a time. When a decision is complex, it is easy to become overwhelmed, or stressed out. Take a decision per time, and take action. If the decision is to be made by a group of people, get only a few people, especially the key office holders.

Think about the future. In making your decisions, think about the outcome. If you decide to get rich quick through unfair means, for instance, think about how that will affect your image negatively. Remember that a good name is more desirable than riches. If a decision does not have a long-lasting positive impact, you can ditch it.

Don’t make decisions in a hurry. Every decision probably has a consequence. There are times that you begin to see the negative effect of the decision that was made without being able to change it. Think for at least two minutes before making a decision. Every time you want to make a decision is an opportunity to make the right one. As I grew up, I came to the understanding that it is my decisions, not external factors, that determine my destiny. I decided to learn as an apprentice at Awesome Associates as a consultant, and that decision has helped me in my professional life. I learnt the rudiments of life coaching and consultancy then. Today, that decision has paid off in spades.

Take time to decide your career path. An average person spends about 20 years, building one career. Before you apply for that job, ask yourself if you will like to spend the next five years or thereabouts in that company. Understand that one of the greatest decisions you will ever make is who to marry and your career path. Choose them wisely. Take time out to think about the career path that will make you fulfilled.Give yourself enough time. A wise man once counseled: “A minute spent in thinking is worth two in execution.” Give yourself time to consider the pros and cons of your decision. Think about the effect of your decision on yourself and on those around you. The best decisions are those that affect you and others around you positively.

You deserve to be recognised. You deserve to be great. You deserve to be rich and wealthy. You deserve to be healthy.You deserve to have all the good things of life. The only thing you need to do right now is to decide all the good things that you want for your life, and start attracting them.agboolaa_coach@yahoo.com

Making money from ice block-making (Biz tool Kits)BY BRIDGET OLOTURECENTLY, we attended a business breakfast meeting for top executives and business owners. After the meeting, we gave out our magazine to the attendees. One of them called us and asked if we could prepare a business plan for his cousin. The business plan was on ice block making. Our research threw up some interesting findings: Ice block business has come to stay despite poor state of power supply. The business plan was an eye-opener for him. Today, he is offering us another brief in a different industry.ICE-block business is important in this country located in a hot region of the world. Besides, our economy is such that majority of our people get involved in hard labour to make ends meet. These two important facts necessitate the high intake of water by especially the people, who drive the economy at that level. Therefore, one can imagine the volume of water that is taken on a daily basis irrespective of the season we are in. And of course, most people prefer to take their water or drink chilled as this makes the liquid tastier and better appreciated. In addition, the nature of the economy does not permit everyone to own a refrigerator at home so as to ice their water and other drinks. And even among those that own a refrigerator, only a small percentage can afford to power it with the right generating set because of epileptic power supply. This is an opportunity that can be taken advantage of by smart entrepreneurs or investors.

Ice Block MakingIce is water that has frozen into a solid state. Ice block is the block shape the water poured into a cellophane bag or a container takes when it is frozen. It is a product developed to provide cold effect to otherwise warm or lukewarm packaged water, soft drinks or fruit juice products with the intent to give the consumer the pleasure of taking such fluids chilled or cold. With increase in the number of packaged water and fruit juice products, carbonated soft drinks and in the market, ice blocks will help to make them more enjoyable, tastier to consumers’ palates and preserve them for a longer time. Target market for ice block business. With current poor power supply, ice-block business will remain relevant because the target market is wide and varied. If the product is not needed at the individual level, there are organisations/institutions whose work/products require constant icing. The market for ice-block here includes: * Drink sellers dealing in carbonated soft drinks, alcoholic drinks and fruit juice beverages; *Packaged water sellers dealing in sachet and bottled water products; *Party people or individuals or groups having one festivity or celebration or the other; Carbonated and fruit juice beverages manufacturers e.g. Cocacola, Pepsi, ChiVita, etc. ∑ Restaurant and fast food vendors; Cafetaria (what some popularly call buka); ∑ Pharmaceutical companies and manufacturers of drug products requiring cooling effect to preserve the efficacy and potency of some of their drugs.• Hospitals and clinics also need it for the treatment of patients and for preserving certain drugs and vaccines.• Hawkers who sell their drink, water and juice products during traffic and who need to ice these items to attract buyers, among many others.

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The Guardian Life Magazine

The entertainment and fashion supplement of The Guardian, Lagos. Established October 2005. The primary focus of the well-written journal is to provide a forum for young people, celebrating role models and good ideas. Our cover stories, which are mostly about "unknown" or "little-known" Nigerians, have influenced millions of Nigerians, and many of those who have appeared on these covers have gone on to win prestigious awards...